Exercise - Create a service item

  • 10 minutes

Note

For you to complete this exercise, we recommend that you use a demo or trial environment of Business Central that's specifically set up for service management. If you don't have access to such an environment, you can create a new sandbox environment and select Advanced Evaluation - Complete Sample Data during the setup process to get started with the necessary data and setup. Ensure that you have the necessary permissions and access rights in your environment to perform the tasks.

Scenario

In this exercise, you'll assume the role of an administrative employee at a computer repair company. Your task is to manually create a service order for The Cannon Group, an existing customer who has reported a malfunctioning computer. Your objective is to accurately capture the details of the repair request and initiate the necessary steps to address the issue.

Tasks

You'll complete the following tasks in this exercise:

  • Create a new service order manually.

  • Create comments.

  • Update the status of the repair.

Create a new service order manually

Your first task is to manually create a new service order by following these steps:

  1. Create a new service order document.

  2. Use the Tab key to move through the dialog to the No. field, allowing it to be automatically populated based on the number ranges that have been set up.

  3. Enter Repair Computer in the Subscription field to indicate the nature of the service.

  4. Select customer 10000, The Cannon Group, as the customer for this service order.

  5. Select Hardware Service in the Service Order Type field to specify the type of service that's required.

  6. Go to the Lines FastTab and select service item 1, Computer III 539 Mhz, which corresponds with the malfunctioning computer.

Now, you've successfully created a service order for The Cannon Group and have associated the appropriate service item for repair.

Create comments

Your next task is to add important comments to provide specific instructions and information regarding the repair request. The customer has emphasized the urgency of repairing the CEO's computer because it's critical to their operations. Furthermore, the servicing organization has identified that the current configuration of the PC is outdated and no longer used in new machines. As an administrative representative, your role is to add an overall comment on the service order to capture important details and internal comments to inform the technicians and suggest considering a new configuration.

To add the general comment, follow these steps:

  1. From the service order menu, go to Order and then select Comments.

  2. In the General Service Comments Sheet, add a new comment with the following text: Computer belongs to CEO and needs to be repaired promptly.

To add the internal comment, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the Lines FastTab and select Lines in the menu.

  2. From the submenu, select Comments > Internal.

  3. In the Internal Service Comment Sheet, add a new comment with the following text: This computer has been installed with an older configuration that we no longer deploy. Can we optimize it with a newer configuration?

These steps allow you to add a general comment and an internal comment, providing important information and instructions that are related to the repair request.

Update the status of the repair

In this task, you'll explore the impact of changing the repair status on the details of the service order. Specifically, you'll focus on how modifying the repair status affects the values that are displayed in the Starting Date & Time and Finishing Date & Time fields on the Details FastTab.

  1. Go to the Details FastTab.

  2. Note the Starting Date & Time and Finishing Date & Time fields, which will be empty initially.

  3. Go to the Lines FastTab and locate the service item for which you want to change the repair status.

  4. In the Repair Status column of the service item, change the status to In Process.

  5. Return to the Details FastTab and observe the updated values in the Starting Date & Time and Finishing Date & Time fields. The Starting Date & Time field should now reflect the current date and time, indicating the initiation of the service work.

  6. Go to the Lines FastTab and find the same service item.

  7. Change the repair status to Finished.

  8. Return to the Details FastTab and review the Finishing Date & Time field. It should now display the current date and time, indicating the completion of the service work.

By following these steps, you'll be able to check the values in the Starting Date & Time and Finishing Date & Time fields on the Details FastTab, before and after changing the repair status of the service item.